#richdrew #areyouready #therideseries

Hey crew! It's time for the long term review on one of my favorite bikes in the fleet, the Specialized Epic EVO. This "down country" steed is an all around weapon in my experience and it was pretty rad to get it back to the killer trails of Breckenridge for the long term break down. Are you ready?

This is the 2020 Epic EVO Expert in a size Large. I'm 5'10 and the fit is great. I think the more "traditional" XC riders around my height, and maybe even an inch or two taller, would prefer the Large. Sticking with the traditional XC rider theme, we will break this thing down under that guise:

I raced Pro XC in and around TX for a few years and loved it. Thinking about having a bike like this to race had me grinning from ear to ear. This would be an AMAZING XC race bike for the majority of the people on the planet. Unless you are actually getting paid to race XC, I think the idea is to have fun and this bike will supply copious amounts of that. In stock trim, this bike would be great for me if I decided to get back in the competitive XC game.

Is it a short travel trail bike?? It has been for me, but I'm not sure that means it will be for everyone else. At the end of the day it has 110mm rear travel and 120mm front. That being said, the RS Sid Select + fork and shock seem to defy logic with how well they perform. ***I have not ridden this bike with Fox suspension, but I can say that I've ridden a Fox 34 on similar bikes and had issues with the fork deflecting side to side on heavy side loads and g outs.

What changes did I make?

Very little for quite some time. I rode the bike in stock trim because it worked so damn well. Having two bottle cages meant I could run a third bottle in my SWAT bib and head out for some big days. When I decided I wanted to beef it up a bit, I simply added an Industry nine A35 stem (50mm) and some Race Face carbon bars in a 20mm rise and 780 width. Lastly, bigger tires were added; 2.3 Butcher up front and 2.3 Eliminator out back with XC Cushcore of course.

Final Verdict:

This bike is rad! It fit's my riding style and where I normally ride very well. There were moments of riding in Breckenridge where I got a bit too far into the deep end following a local on some fast jump lines. I should've know better since he was riding a Ripmo, but it wasn't anything that caused an issue. I think the take away here is that although this bike is very capable, it does have limits and those might just lie in your background as a rider and where you will mostly be riding the bike.

Please don't hesitate to hit me up with any specific questions on this bike, I'll shoot you straight.

Peace out dumpers ;)

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